Astros notes: Manzella's rehab assignment pays off

Published 5:30 am, Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Rehab stint pays off

Some time on the shelf gave Astros rookie shortstop Tommy Manzella a chance to re-evaluate his approach at the plate and so far, it has paid dividends.

The 27-year-old Manzella had a productive weekend in the Astros' final two road games against the New York Mets, going 5-for-8. In his first eight games off of the disabled list before to Monday's game against St. Louis, Manzalla was hitting .308 with two RBIs.

Manzella was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 23 with a fractured left finger and returned on Aug. 19.

"I feel comfortable right now," Manzella said. "A lot of the adjustments I made during my rehab stint are starting to feel a lot more comfortable and second nature."

Manzella said that during his 11-game rehab assignment with Class AA Corpus Christi and Class AAA Round Rock, he worked on getting his hands back and shortening his stride so that he could recognize pitches better. Prior to the injury, he hit .212 in 59 games with the Astros.

"I learned a lot in the six weeks that I watched — both in the mental part of the game and the physical part," Manzella said.

Pearland to be honored

The Astros will recognize the Pearland Little League baseball team that finished fourth in the recently completed Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. The team will be honored on the field prior to the 1:05 p.m. Astros-Dodgers game on Sunday.